My father was born at Orsett, England, 19 March 1827. He had three brothers, George, Alfred and John and one sister, Mary. His mothers' name was Charlett Daliday. Three of the brothers came to the US one went to Australia and one that wasn't satisfied with the states went to Canada. My mother was born 4 February 1837, at Orsett, Essex, England. She was the daughter of John Argent and Mary Gridley. My father and mother were both baptized before they were married, 1854 or 1855.

There were three children born to them in England. One was a baby when they crossed the ocean and died when they landed in New York. I think they landed in New York in 1859 and stayed there two years and father worked at a dairy. Then they crossed the plains in 1862. A baby boy had been born to them while in New York. He was about six months old when they started across the plains. They rode on the train in boxcars as far as Nauvoo. Then they found an emigrant train and started across the plains. They had only traveled three days when a big storm came up and blew down their tents and everyone got wet and mothers baby had the measles and they went back on him and he died. My father and grandfather went back and got enough lumber to make a little box to bury him in. The captains' name of the emigrant train was Henry W. Miller. Then they journeyed on the trail all summer. The captain would stop one half day each week for the women to wash, then they would journey on again, rain or shine.

Mother said they started out with one pair of shoes and she prayed that God would preserve the soles that they would last her to the journeys end and she said the same shoes were on her feet when got to Winter Quarters. There was snow on the ground. Then she took down with "mountain fever" and sick all winter. In the spring they journeyed on to Salt Lake. They lived in Parleys Park the first winter, and then they moved on to old Petet farm on the west side of the Jordan River, west of the white bridge. My brother Christopher was born there in 1863. They only stayed there two years them they moved up and settled on the west side of the river again. It is called West Jordan now. They lived there for a short time and then bought them a farm on the east side of the Jordan River where they lived and raised the rest of their family. They were the parents of thirteen children in all and raised six boys and two girls. They were there in the time of the crickets. I have heard mother say when the crickets would come they were so thick that they darkened the sky or sun and when they lit, they ate every green thing on the ground. And then the seagulls came in great flocks and ate the crickets and would fly to the lake shores and heave them up. And when they wanted a few potatoes, she would have to hunt in the bare ground to find a few little potatoes. It was very hard times for them.

They could hardly find enough to eat and their clothes wore out until they hardly had enough to cover them. Their transportation in those days was the ox team and wagon. I can remember when my father took a contract at the old germania smelter, he and largest boys to unload coke. I don't remember how long he worked there. I can remember when all the children were asked to bring a nickel or ten cents and it was put in a box with their names and went into one corner of the temple in the foundation. My father died 29 April 1885. That left mother alone to raise the rest of the family. I wasn't quite eight years old. My father and mother went through the old endowment house that stood on the north of where the temple stands. I have heard mother say when they went to a dance, they would take what they had, some a bushel of wheat, some vegetables, some chickens and so on as there was no money.

I have heard her tell at one time when the crickets had taken everything. A man came from Bingham and wanted to stay all night and father let him stay. He paid him good for the nights lodging and before he left, he pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and rolled it up and lit his cigar with it. Mother said it hurt her to see him waste money when her children had no clothes to wear. They had very hard times. They were endowed 2 March 1867 in the Old Endowment House.